TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacterial meningitis
AU - Heckenberg, Sebastiaan G. B.
AU - Brouwer, Matthijs C.
AU - van de Beek, Diederik
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Bacterial meningitis is a neurologic emergency. Vaccination against common pathogens has decreased the burden of disease. Early diagnosis and rapid initiation of empiric antimicrobial and adjunctive therapy are vital. Therapy should be initiated as soon as blood cultures have been obtained, preceding any imaging studies. Clinical signs suggestive of bacterial meningitis include fever, headache, meningismus, and an altered level of consciousness but signs may be scarce in children, in the elderly, and in meningococcal disease. Host genetic factors are major determinants of susceptibility to meningococcal and pneumococcal disease. Dexamethasone therapy has been implemented as adjunctive treatment of adults with pneumococcal meningitis. Adequate and prompt treatment of bacterial meningitis is critical to outcome. In this chapter we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of bacterial meningitis
AB - Bacterial meningitis is a neurologic emergency. Vaccination against common pathogens has decreased the burden of disease. Early diagnosis and rapid initiation of empiric antimicrobial and adjunctive therapy are vital. Therapy should be initiated as soon as blood cultures have been obtained, preceding any imaging studies. Clinical signs suggestive of bacterial meningitis include fever, headache, meningismus, and an altered level of consciousness but signs may be scarce in children, in the elderly, and in meningococcal disease. Host genetic factors are major determinants of susceptibility to meningococcal and pneumococcal disease. Dexamethasone therapy has been implemented as adjunctive treatment of adults with pneumococcal meningitis. Adequate and prompt treatment of bacterial meningitis is critical to outcome. In this chapter we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of bacterial meningitis
U2 - 10.1016/B978-0-7020-4088-7.00093-6
DO - 10.1016/B978-0-7020-4088-7.00093-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 24365425
SN - 0072-9752
VL - 121
SP - 1361
EP - 1375
JO - Handbook of clinical neurology / edited by P.J. Vinken and G.W. Bruyn
JF - Handbook of clinical neurology / edited by P.J. Vinken and G.W. Bruyn
ER -